Book #1: The Wind and The Rain: Kutzu and Namie

Chapter Thirteen- Sumo

                                                                  LATE DECEMBER 1931

"Hurry! Get up! We are going to a sumo match with Akihiro and his colleague." Kutzu yelled as she shook Namie's shoulders with her powerful force. 

Namie shot up from her futon and bolted into the closet to pull out a cherry blossom kimono.  Namie snatched the kimono and some geta. (Namie is now a geiko so she has to wear geta). Then she ran down the stairs into the courtyard.  As she ran through the garden to the bathhouse, she stopped to take a look at soft snow falling. Every winter, the snow is so beautiful . Now it is mid winter.  Namie ran into the bath house and filled the bath bucket full of hot water and soap. Namie poured the liquid on her and scrubbed her body. Ugg, I should go to Onsen later, she thought. Namie dried off put her juban, kimono, and tabi socks on. Then, she walked back out to the courtyard and into the house. 

"Quickly, eat breakfast!" Kutzu yelled from the kitchen, "Kiko has made rice porridge with egg."

With one hand, she gulped the porridge down. Namie slipped on her geta and ran outside with Kutzu at her heels.  After a while, they were at a sumo rink in Uji.  As they walked into the stair area, Namie spotted Akihiro and signaled for Kutzu to follow. Akihiro noticed.

"My dear Namie! He said as he gave Namie a friendly hug.

 Namie bowed in return and asked, "How have you been?"

Akihiro smiled and said, "Shall we sit, they have great sushi here."

Namie and Kutzu sat down with Akihiro.

"Akihiro, how is your company working out?" Kutzu asked.

"Oh please...call me Aki. It's alright,  my friend here, Ryo, has been very helpful." AKi said as he slapped his hand on a man's back that was sitting next to him.

Kutzu nodded and took a huge sip from her sake cup. Namie knew this was going to be one of those nights. 

Not long after a waitress came by and asked, "Sake? Sushi? Tea?" She looked at Namie and her jaw dropped in shock. "I'll be back soon..." She said as she broke in a run. The sake and noodles spilled all over Kutzu. 

"How rude!" Kutzu yelled at the waitress who was long gone by now. 

Namie stood up and said, "I'll be back, if she comes order me a rare strong sake." Namie started to run the way the waitress did. Namie burst open the kitchen doors the smell of soy sauce shot her nose. She yelled in the loudest voice, "AI???" 

There was a stinging silence until a twelve year old girl stepped out of the crowd with her head down. She had pale skin the color of eggnog. She had milk chocolate hair with streaks of blonde. She wore a red kimono with jade dragons on it. She had been westernized. 

"Ai? My sister? What are you doing here? You are twelve!" Namie yelled in a sympathetic voice as she ran into her sister's arms. 

Her sister started to cry. As she wiped tears and snot off of her face, she said, "Mother...died," more snot, "She drowned herself in the lake Shiro, she was too stressed. Father came a week later.  There is a memorial service tonight, I'll be there. It's at lake Shiro. 

Namie's smile disappeared in less than a nanosecond. Her eyes were glistening and her through had a sharp feeling in it. She nodded and backed away. She slammed her head into the door and trudged out into the sumo rink. She walked up to Kutzu and said, "That was my sister. My mother is dead." 

Kutzu nodded. 

Luckily the sumo match was almost over. They stayed until the end, said bye to Akihiro, and then they hurried home.